As Columbus Day weekend kicks off, Cornish, N.H. and surrounding communities worry if the region will feel the impact of the temporary closure of the Augustus St. Gaudens National Historic Site. It, along with many other federally-run facilities like it, is closed during the partial government shutdown. That means visitors cannot tour the home, studios, and gardens of one of the nation's most famous sculptors.

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The site, which is the only unit of the National Park Service in the state of New Hampshire, typically draws 100-200 visitors a day, according to facility manager Steve Walasewicz, who was not furloughed during the shutdown. He added that Columbus Day weekend is typically one of the busiest of the year for the destination, which closes after October ends.

"It's a beautiful place," said tourist Barb Smart, an Arkansas resident who was visiting the Connecticut River Valley Friday with her husband, Tom. "I hate that we missed it.""We're here to protect and preserve and also interpret this site for the visiting public," Walasewicz said. "We certainly want to be open."

Down Route 12A from the site, Rachel Hamel's family runs a convenience store called the 12% Solution Store. Hamel said the store is the only one in this town of just 1,600, and while the business's regulars are still coming, sales to park staffers and tourists have slipped slightly. "We usually get about 10 people a day that have gone into St. Gaudens and come in afterwards," Hamel noted. “I’m not seeing those people with the stickers on their shirts right now.”

She told New England Cable News she is glad the community's other famous destination, the Cornish-Windsor Covered Bridge, is still drawing a steady stream of visitors. It is said to be the country's longest two-lane wooden covered bridge.

On the other side of the bridge is Windsor, Vt., a town of more than twice the size of Cornish, with much more of a downtown. It, too has felt the sting of the closure of the Augustus St. Gaudens National Historic Site, according to Kay Carriere with the Windsor-Mt. Ascutney Region Chamber of Commerce. "We miss St. Gaudens," she sighed.

Carriere said she has fielded calls from some travelers who told her they're considering checking out the trees in other spots instead, since they can't include the national historic site in their visits. "I want them to still come, because the shops need to make money," Carriere said. "This is foliage. It's our busiest time of year."

Carriere's sense is that it's tough enough for tourism-dependent small towns to promote their offerings most years, but with one of them now offline, chances to attract leaf-peepers may be slipping away with each leaf that falls.